Adjustable head for golf clubs



Aug. 29, 1950 J. VERDERBER 2,520,701

y ADJUSTABLE HEAD joR GOLF cLuBs Filed May 1s, 1947 s sheets-sheet 1 nvVENToR. JOSEPH VERDERBER BY%.;, am

A TTOPNE'Y All@ 29, 1950 J. VERDERBER ADJUSTABLE HEAD FOR GOLF CLUBS :s sheets-snee@ 2 Filed May 1:5, 1947 .E .MEL

. n INVENTOR.

Joss-:PH VERDERBER ATTORNEY Aug. 29, 1950 J. vERDERBl-:R

ADJUSTABLE HEAD FOR GOLF CLUBS s Sheets-sheet s Filed May 13, 1947 Il (J 3a FIG. 12

, INVENTOR. Joss-:PH VERDERBER ATTORNEY Patented ug. 29, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ADJUSTABLE HEAD FOR GOLF CLUBS Joseph Verderber, Cleveland, Ohio Application May 13, 1947, Serial No. 747,673

7 Claims. (Cl. 273-79) This invention relates to golf clubs and more particularly to golf clubs of the type wherein the head may be adjusted to provide a variety of angles of approach to the golf ball.

During the course of the golf game, from driving tee to putting green, the player encounters a variety of terrain and distance, In order to play his shots correctly and meet the varying requirements of terrain and distance, the golfer, in each instance, must select a golf club having the proper loft or angle of approach, with respect to the golf ball.

It is customary for players to carry from ten to fourteen clubs of varying degrees of loft in order to accomplish the foregoing. This large number of clubs involves a substantial expenditure of money which often discourages prospective golfers from participation in the sport. The clubs are also a heavy burden making them inconvenient and tiresome to carry. v

By making the head of the golf club adjustable to different angles of loft, the player needs only one club and thus is relieved of the expense and burden connected with the use of ten or more clubs.

It is a primary object of my invention to provide a golf club having a head which is adjustable to a variety of angles.

Another object of my invention is to provide an adjustable head for golf clubs which may be adjusted without the use of tools or implements.

Still another object of my invention isV to provide an adjustable head for golf clubs which is rigidly and rmly maintained in any selected angle of loft.

A further object of my invention is to provide new and novel means of adjustment which are of rugged and simple construction.

A still further object of my invention is to provide an adjustable head for golf clubs which -will enable the player to quickly select and adjust the head to the proper angle.

Y Other objects and advantages of my invention will .become apparent during the course of the following description and with reference to the annexed drawings, forming a part thereof, in`

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary View taken on line 4--4 of Fig, 1.

Fig. 5 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation, taken on line 5--5 of Fig. 4, and showing details of the knob assembly.

Fig. 6 is a View partly in section and partly in elevation, taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 1.

Fig. '7 is an exploded View, partly in section and partly in elevation, of the parts comprising my invention.

v Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 8--8 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a view taken on line 9-9 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 10 is a view taken on line Ill-I0 of Fig, 7.

Fig. 11 is a 'cross-sectional view taken on line l l-l I of Fig. '7.

Fig. 12 is a side elevation of the head of a golf club embodying a modified form of my invention.

l Fig. 13 is an end elevation of the head of a golf club embodying the modified form of my invention.

Fig. 14 is a view, partly in section and partly in elevation, taken on line l4-I4 of Fig. 12.

Fig. 15 is a sectional view taken on line |5--l5 of Fig. 12.

Fig. 16 is a sectional View taken on line |6-l6 of Fig. 12.

Referring now to Figs. 1 through 11, the upper extremity of the hosel I of a golf club engages a shaft of conventional design (not shown). The other end of the hosel I is elbowed as at 2 and has an extension or spindle 3 having a machined external thread 4 thereon. The nature of the thread 4 is of particular importance in my invention, it being required that the thread -4 have a helix angle sufficiently great so as to permit the spindle to turn when an axial ycomponent of force is applied to it. In order to obtain the effect hereinafter described, the helix angle should be in excess of ten degrees. As .drawn in Fig. 3, the thread 4 has a pitch of 1/ 1a inch and a lead of 1A; inch, being three threads per inch, sextuple.

The spindle 3 is undercut along a portion of its length and machined to provide a nine-sided section 5 on the spindle.

The head 6 has a cavity or bore l which is internally threaded, as at 8, for a portion of its length to accommodate the sextuple thread 4 of the spindle 3.

Another portion of the bore 'l is threaded, as at 9, to accommodate the screw I0.

The screw I0 has an external thread Il, which has the same pitch as thread 4, but which is only a single thread and therefore has a lead of 1/la inch which is equivalent to 1/6 of the lead of 'thread 4. In Icontradistinction to thread 4, the thread II is aleft-hand thread. Y,

The screw ID has a cylindrical extension I2, which projects into the cavity I3 provided in the spindle 3. The extension I2 serves to support the washers I4 which are interposed between the spindle 3 and the screw I. The opposite end of the screw IE! terminates in an extension I5 of square cross-section which projects into and is engaged by a cavity I6 of like cross-section, in the knob I'I.

The knob I'I has an annular groove I8, the sides of which are substantially engaged by the point I9 of the set screw 20 which is threaded through the head 5 and bushing 2l through tapped openings 22 and 23 respectively. This construction prevents axial movement of the knob- I'I. Y

The bushing 2| has a cavity 24 retaining a spring 25. The spring 25 serves to press a ball 2B into engagement with depressions 21 on the knob -I'I, thus` operating as a detent and 'giving tactile indication of proper positioning-of the knob. As seen in Fig. 4, suitable indiciarare inf scribed on Ythe face 23 of the knob Il, which correspond inY-number and spacing to the `depreshead 6 will then be disposed at an angle to the A pin 29, blocking the groove I8, Serves to restrict rotation of knob il to less than one revolu tion.

A set screw 3l! is threaded into the headl 5 Y through the opening 3| and engages one or anthe order to permit the golfer to weight the club head into the bore 'I of the head 6 .so as to tightly env gage theinterposed washers I4. Assuming the' head 6 to be in the position indicated in solid K lines in Fig. 2, the setscrew 30 will be tightened so as to engage a flat face of the nonagonal section 5 of spindle 3. The golf club is now ready for f use as a driver or number one iron. The impact of the face 33 of the'head 5 with the golf ball will have a tendency to rotate the head 5 so as to cause a tightening relationship between the adjacent ends of spindle 3 and screw I5.V Inasmuch as the screw III and spindle are already in tight engagement, as previously stated, the head vi will maintain its position rigidly relative to the hosel I, and the engagement of the set screw 30 with section 5 will prevent any tendency of the head 6 -toV rotate in a direction opposite to that induced by impact with the golf ball, such as might occur on theV backror return swing of the club head.

Assuming now that the golfer desires to use the golfclub as a number five iron, he will loosen the set `screw 3l! and rotate the knob I1, as shown in Fig. 4, in a counter-clockwise direction, until the Vcharacter 5 onY the face 28 of the knob occupies the position shown on the drawing bythe character 1. Rotation of the knob I'I will be transmitted to screw IG by means of the square extension I5. If the head 5. is held rwhile the knob isturned, the spindle 3 will be moved slightly out of the bore l by the force exerted on the washers I4 by the screw IIB.V While being displaced longitudinally,

longitudinal axis of the hosel and shaft. Conversely, if the shaft or hosel were held while knob I'I is rotated, the head 6 would rotate in the same direction as the knob, and occupy the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

Due to the differential in lead between the left hand thread II on screw I0 and the right hand thread 4 on Spindle 3, the head G will have an angular rotation of only one-sixth the angular rotation of the knob I1.

' When the head has been thus adjusted, the set screw 36 is again tightened and the club is ready for play.

Although the thread II on screw I0 has been described as a left hand thread and the thread 4 on the spindle 3 has been described as a right hand thread it will be readily apparent that the thread II could be right hand and the thread 4 could be left hand. and the principle of operation of my invention will still be retained.

In order to return the head from the number 5 position to the number 1 position, the set screw 33 is loosened, the knob I1 rotated in a clockwise direction, the head'similarly rotated, and the set screw 3Q again tightened.

'just the-head of his golf club as to make it the equivalent of any one of eight clubs having varying degreesV of loft. It will further be noted that Vthe adjustment can be quickly and easily made without the use of tools and that the novel construction embodied in my invention is such as to maintain the head nrmly andrigidly in any one of the selected positions of adjustment.

Referring'now to Figs. l2 through 16, I have shown a modied form of my invention employ- Y ing a ball and race construction on the spindle 3 instead of machined threads.

In the modiiied form, a tapped cavity 34 is provided in the screw I0' which is adapted to receive the hollow head screw 35.

Grooves or races 35 areY provided on the spindle 3', and like races 3l are provided internally of the bore I of the head 6. In combination with the balls 38, the races are the equivalent of three Y sarily its angular rotation, is limited by the head of the screw 35, which, in turn, moves longitudinally in response -to rotation of the screw Il.

The principle ofY operation of the modified form of my invention is identical to that of the previously described form. The threaded members lIll' and 3 which are of opposite inclination, serve to lock the head againstrrotation in a counterclockwise direction (as'seen in Fig. 13) upon irnpact Yof theA face 33' with the golf ball, and the the spindle 3 will be rotated in a counter-clock- Y wise direction, as viewed in Fig. 2, and the club screw 35 serves to prevent rotation of the head 6 upon the back swing of the club, thereby having a `function which in part is similar to that performed by the screw 30 in the rst-described form of the invention. Due to the use of the balls 38 and 39, the frictional resistance between the operating parts is decreased and any required acljustments are easily and quickly made.

With reference now to the head 6 as seen in Fig. 2 and the head 0 as seen in Fig. 13, it will be noted that the heads are so designed and constructed that the mass of the head is preponderantly in the lower portion of the head rather than being distiibuted so as to be preponderantly behind the center of the face 33 or 33. inasmuch as the golf ball generally receives its impact from the lower portion of the club head, the aforementioned weight distribution utilizes the momentum of the club head to greatest advantage at the point of impact.

It will be understood that various changes may be made in the construction, shape, size and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

l. In an adjustable head for a golf club, the combination of a head having a threaded cavity therein, the threads in one longitudinal portion or said cavity having a greater lead than the threads in the remaining portion of said cavity, a hosel having an integral extension forming a spindle threadedly engaging said iirst named portion of said cavity, said spindle being rotatable relatively to said head in response to an axial force applied thereto, and an element threadedly engaging said second named portion of said cavity in longitudinal abutment with said spindle, whereby rotation of said element relatively to said head causes proportional rotation of said spindle.

2. In an adjustable head for a golf club, the combination of a head having a threaded cavity therein, the threads in one portion of said cavity being of greater lead than the threads in the other portion of said cavity, a hosel having an integral extension forming a spindle threadedly engaging said first-named portion of said cavity, said spindle being rotatable in response to an axial force applied thereto, and an element threadedly engaging said second-named portion of said cavity in axial alignment with said Spindle, whereby relative rotation of said element in a direction to cause linear movement of said element toward said spindle is effective to cause linear displacement of said spindle and rotation thereof relatively to said head.

3. In an adjustable head for a golf club, the combination of a head having a threaded cavity therein, a hosel having an integral extensionforming a spindle threadedly engaging a portion of said cavity, said spindle being rotatable relatively to said head in response to an axial component of force applied thereto, and an element threadedly engaging said cavity in axial alignment with said spindle and longitudinally movable in said cavity for applying an axial component of force to said spindle, whereby said head is caused to rotate relatively to said spindle.

4. In an adjustable head for a golf club, the combination of a head having a threaded cavity therein, one portion of said cavity having threads of greater lead than the threads in another portion of said cavity, a hosel having an integral extension forming a Spindle threadedly engaging said rst named portion of said cavity, said spindle being rotatable relatively to said head in response to an axial component of force applied thereto, an adjusting element threaded-1y engaging said second-named portion of said cavity in abutment with said spindle, whereby linear movement of said adjusting element in the direction of said spindle causes linear displacement of said spindle and proportional rotation thereof relatively to said head, and locking means carried by said head for selectively locking said spindle against counter rotation relatively to said head.

5. A combination, as defined in claim 4, in which the helix angle of the threads on said spindle is greater than 10 degrees.

6. A combination, as dened in claim 4, in which said locking means comprise a plurality or circumferential flats on said spindle and a screw extending through said head into releasable engagernent with Said flats.

'7. In an adjustable head for a golf club, the combination of a head having a threaded cavity therein, a spindle threadedly engaging a portion of said cavity, said spindle being rotatable relatively to said head in response to an axial force applied thereto, an element threadedly engaging said cavity in axial abutment with said spindle for applying an axial force to said spindle, and a member rotatably secured to said head and slidably connected to said element in axial alignment therewith, said member being longitudinally immovable relatively to said head.

JOSEPH VERDERBER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 556,682 Larter Mar. 17, 1896 645,942 Cran Mar. 27, 1900 670,522 Thompson Mar. 26, 1901 788,420 Murphy Apr. 25, 1905 1,139,985 Legh May 18, 1915 1,364,296 Mullan Jan. 4, 41921 1,389,565 Jensen Aug. 30, 1921 1,429,569 Craig Sept. 19, 1922 2,144,447 Barnhart Jan. 17, 1939 2,217,338 Fuller Oct. 8, 1940 2,329,313 Winter Sept. 14, 1943 2,381,636 Bancroft Aug. 7, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 9,169 Great Britain A. D. 1908 

